Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to signal management. More specifically, the invention relates to music mixing consoles and hardware controllers that route and change volume, timbre, and dynamics of audio signals that might be generated by the likes of microphones for performing artists, acoustical microphones for various instruments, and signals generated by electric or electronic instruments, as well as recorded music or samples that may be generated by other musical hardware componentry.
Description of the Related Art
A controller or mixing console combines or mixes audio signals from various input sources. A mixer or controller may be capable of manipulating analog and/or digital signals. Modified signals or samples are summed to produce combined output signal that are then broadcast, amplified through a sound reinforcement system, recorded, or a combination of the foregoing.
Such controllers have numerous applications and may be found in recording studios, nightclubs, and broadcast television studios. Such controllers may be used for tasks as mundane as servicing public address announcements to complex engagements such as film post-production. The specific design—and corresponding cost and complexity—of any given controller or mixer may depend on the particular venue in which the controller or mixer is used and the corresponding tasks to be managed by said controller or mixer.
For example, in a live performance environment, the signal from a mixer may be directed to an amplifier that is, in turn, plugged directly into a speaker cabinet. A DJ mixer, on the other hand, may have two channels that might be used for mixing two record players or other input device. A coffeehouse or other small venue may have a six-channel mixer for mixing singer-guitarists and a percussionist whereas a nightclub may have 24-channels for mixing the likes of a rhythm section, lead guitar, and various vocalists. A concert venue may have a 48-channel mixer whereas a professional recording studio may have 72-channel equipment.
In the above-referenced examples, the mixer-amplifier-speaker configuration of a mixer or controller in a live-performance venue could not satisfy the demands of a concert venue or professional recording studio that require tens of if not hundreds of channel inputs. And while the equipment used in a professional recording studio or concert venue could readily satisfy the demand of the live-performance, the costs of such a high-end mixer might far surpass the economic capabilities of the smaller, live-performance venue.
Similar issues exist with respect to the technical complexity of analog versus digital mixer or controller consoles. For example, analog consoles remain popular in the present-day performance and studio market place as they have columns of dedicated, physical knobs, buttons, and faders for each channel. These configurations are not only logical but familiar to those of ordinary skill in the music and sound management industries. The logic and familiarity of these configurations demand increasing amounts of physical space subject to the number of channels demanded by a venue or performance, but can nevertheless accommodate rapid responses to changing performance conditions (e.g., on-the-fly addition or changing of channel configurations).
Digital mixers and controllers, however, significantly reduce physical space requirements by compromising the logical and convenient layout of the user interface. For example, the interface of a digital soundboard may service any number of channels—but only one such channel at a time. Additionally, most digital mixers have virtual pages or layers that change fader banks into separate controls for additional inputs or for adjusting equalization or auxiliary send levels. This layering—while convenient in terms of physical footprint—can be confusing to “old school” soundboard or mixer operators. Digital mixers do, however, allow for extremely easy building of a mix from saved data, which cannot be achieved in the analog context.
There is a need in the art for a mixer or controller solution that is modular such that it can address the demands of a particular performance or mixing environment without incurring significant economic build-out costs. Such a solution should likewise combine the smaller footprint benefits of a digital mixer environment while simultaneously maintaining the familiarity and logic of an analog mixer solution.